A humble attempt at photo-journalism

Archive for November, 2011

Bradley, Spencer and I met up with the family at their grandparents home, Bob and Karen’s. Mike and Vanessa and their two kids (?) traveled from Virginia and filled the home to the max. Karen and Vanessa put out a spread to rival all those that went before. Of special note was Vanessa’s Greenberg’s Smoked Turkey from Texas. Other delights too numerous to mention made the tables groan. Bob’s wine cellar was visited often too, with various reds and whites appearing – and disappearing – throughout our visit. As a regular reader of this blog, you’ll recall the photo of the George T. Stagg Kentucky whiskey, right? Well, as of Friday, one bottle is almost gone. (It burns so nice!) Today we celebrate Tara’s graduation from nursing school, and wish her the best on the Boards this coming January. Well, here’s some pictures to show some of the people enjoying themselves, me included.

[Excuse the interruption, but I just uploaded a video of the fireworks last July 4th on Big Long Lake in Indiana. You should go see the 2:35 vid, in full-screen HD.]

I’m just playing around here. Thanks for volunteering your pictures from Venezuela, Spencer. For the record, these are all ‘full size’ images, as opposed to the ‘mediums’ I’ve been using heretofore (I like this word). There’s also ‘large size’ which I may use if the photo warrants it. These will probably be taken down after a month or so, unless…

Mr Hepka, a heretofore stranger, came strolling down Hennepin Blvd, just as I was bringing donuts to Sunday service. He allowed me to take his picture, and mentioned/mumbled that the red suit could only be purchased in Pittsburg, PA.

Then there’s the Ideal Diner. By my reckoning there are 12 stools, very uncomfortable stools, facing the owner/cook and a wait staff of…one. Then there’s two groups of four stools looking out through the two pane glass windows onto Central Ave, Minneapolis. What can I say about there food? Midwestern. Prepared with real butter. Makes me want to come back, once a year or so.

Believe it or not, these are two separate venues, in case you were wondering.

I met two guys at the store, and we started talking about this and that. The were hauling a 24-pack of Bud, so I made an offhand remark that they “must be in a band.” They were. Whoa. Mark and Patrick then invited me to hear their band, 9Tomorrows, perform the next night at the Bayview, a chi-chi venue on Lake Minnetonka. That meant taking a shower and whatnot, but I bit the bullet and got out of the house that night. Sometimes, only sometimes, I am so clueless. When I showed up, there was blood and wings and colorful characters trooping around the venue. Eventually, my new Nikon D5100 came out, purely to try out my new Nikkor 35mm, f/1.8, good for taking available light pictures without a flash.(I did use a Speedlight STB-400 on some shots, but mostly not). Another band called KnowBreak, was up first, and the frontman, Collin, did Jimi proud. Their video came out so-so, more artistic than focused, but hey, I have so much to learn about photography, that this was a great test for me. Anyway, the contest for best costumes in different categories was a hoot. The crowd was energetic and engaged. I had three people come up to me and ask if I was “the photographer” for the event. I did not use the ruse that I used in Florida, claiming I was “on assignment.” Nonetheless I did send off different packages to three different people that were ernest in their requests. 9Tomorrows is very polished, and as I listened to their well-produced CD the next day, I was even more impressed. Their original material is worth a listen. Enough chatter – here’s the pix.

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Here’s my first video upload, of KnowBreak performing Halloween night. For a handheld shot, it turned out okay. They make tripods don’t they? Anyway, this is a test, only a test.